Hogwarts Military Academy
by Phalanx30
Summary: After the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Dumbledore makes different choices. All in the interest of not repeating the horror of the last war with Voldemort and the Death Eaters Benevolent/Powerful Dumbledore, Harry/Luna, Ron/Hermione.


**Disclaimer** : I own none of the characters, concepts, or the universe this story is set in. They are all owned by their respective copyright holders.

 **Spoilers:** Harry Potter up through "The Goblet of Fire" with elements from later books

 **Timeline** : The end of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

 **Author's Note** : Please review, I am always on the lookout for new ideas. And criticism, if it's crap, tell me so and why. Better to know so I can improve. And if there is anything you want to see in subsequent chapters, I really want to know that. I'm writing this for me, sure, but for my readers also. Hope you enjoy this.

 **Hogwarts Military Academy**

 **Chapter 1: The Awakening of the Chief Warlock**

Just After the End of the Final Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament

Albus Dumbledore was troubled.

After everything that had happened with the fake Alastor Moody, the near murder of Harry Potter, and having the man responsible given the Dementor's Kiss. Dumbledore could still see and hear a sight and sound he wished he would never have had to experience again.

Far too many times, Dumbledore had heard anguished wails of grief, as he had just heard from Amos Diggory as he mourned his son. As well, Harry was crying over Cedric's body. As to the sight, the blank stare and lifeless eyes of someone who has been struck by a Killing curse was horrifying to say the least.

Dumbledore had already seen two wars, and those had dragged on for far too long. Grindelwald was bad enough. But the first war with Voldemort hit Dumbledore hard, especially now. He had lost colleagues, former students, and people he considered friends.

Now, another war was about to start. It was then that Dumbledore made a decision. He was widely considered to be one of the wisest and most powerful wizards in all of Britain, if not the world. He would exert his power and influence to see that this war was fought properly. He would not make the same mistakes again.

He could readily call to mind all of the losses during the first war. And all of those who fought bared the scars of those losses. Members of the Order of the Phoenix had suffered a great deal. Molly Weasley had lost her two brothers. The McKinnons had been wiped out. The Longbottoms and the Potters had nearly shared the same fate. In the same vein, the Black family had been split and decimated, with most of it's members either imprisoned or dead.

Just thinking about all of the losses made Dumbledore seethe with anger _'It shall not happen again.'_ Dumbledore also noted that Voldemort wasn't the main problem. It was true he provided leadership, ruthlessness, and a center around which his followers could gather. But it was those followers who had killed or injured far more than Voldemort ever did himself.

Then Dumbledore sought out a solution to his problem. How to fight an enemy that would use fear and destruction, as opposed to sheer numbers, to cow a larger segment of Magical society into submission. He looked for a moment at the Muggle world. They had to deal with this sort of thing all of the time. A small group seeking to impose their message and beliefs on a larger group through the use of violence. Britain had been enmeshed in what they called 'The Troubles' within Ireland and the larger United Kingdom for decades.

Dumbledore would admit freely, he knew but a fraction of Muggle history. Much less then he should at least. The wizarding world had tried and failed to deal with the Death Eaters. Perhaps Muggles had found ways to succeed where people with magic at their command had failed. He would have to speak with someone knowledgeable on the subject.

But first he had to make sure that Minister Fudge didn't make any more rash decisions. Also he had to offer comfort to Harry Potter, and seek to mend some of the glaring mistakes he had made with regards to the boy.

Harry Potter's dorm room, Gryffindor Tower

To start his plan, Dumbledore had to first own up to his mistakes with a certain Boy-who-Lived. Dumbledore wasn't blind to his errors. There were simply overriding concerns. Harry had to go back to his relatives each summer, the blood wards around that house had to be recharged. They did in fact keep Harry safe when he was out of Hogwarts.

That was before Voldemort's return. The wards were now nullified. Harry had told Dumbledore of the resurrection ritual. Voldemort had used Harry's blood. Thus the now useless wards.

Dumbledore would have to find Harry a new place to go for the summer, assuming his coming plans fell through. In any event, Harry would need what family he could get in the coming months.

Dumbledore waited until Harry was alone in his room. It was the next night after the Tri-Wizard tournament.

The room was dark, though Harry was still awake. Dumbledore decided to start things off "Harry, my boy, do you have a moment?"

"Yes, headmaster." Harry was tired, he had been through far too much this year. As if the deadly tournament wasn't enough. He had to deal with watching someone get murdered, being part of an unholy ritual, and being kidnapped and also nearly killed.

Dumbledore detected a wariness from the boy. Being a master at legilimancy, he could sense the sorrow Harry felt at Cedric's death. Also, there was the new looming threat of Voldemort. Dumbledore brought out a clear empty vial "I need a memory from you."

"Which one, sir?" Harry could imagine that Dumbledore wanted to see the fight in the graveyard, maybe there was something that could be revealed by watching those terrible events over again.

Dumbledore wanted to get Harry out of his morose state of mind, even for a brief moment "Cedric's death wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was, I convinced him to grab the cup along with me, if I had went after it by myself, he would still be alive." Harry sighed at the memory. After the portkey, both he and Cedric had been disoriented, but Cedric kept his wits and had his wand out right quick. It had all been for nothing though. He just wasn't prepared for someone trying to kill him.

Dumbledore could readily hear the logic behind the boy's words. But he could ill afford to have Harry wallowing in misery and grief at the moment "Listen to me, you had no way of knowing that the cup was rigged. If anything, it was my fault, I should have checked the chalice for tampering. Now about the memory, I need the time when you, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin captured Peter Pettigrew."

"What for?" Now Harry was curious, Dumbledore was right about the tournament and his responsibility. As for the memory, he wondered at the request.

Dumbledore saw the curiosity plainly, he couldn't blame Harry. He should have done more for Sirius, especially after he learned the truth "I want to use it to clear your godfather's name, we both know he's innocent, I'm afraid Minister Fudge doesn't see it that way. The memory will be key in keeping him out of Azkaban."

"Thank you, sir, but why now?" Harry couldn't help the relief that flooded over him, Sirius was the closest thing he had to a real family. And if Dumbledore could gain his freedom, Harry wouldn't have to go back to his relatives, which was cause enough for joy. But he also wondered at the timing.

The headmaster could sense the guarded optimism combined with suspicion "I have made a great many mistakes regarding your life Mr. Potter, I shall try my best to make no more. As for why I am doing this now, you and everyone else here at school are going to need the support of your families in the coming months."

At that Dumbledore took his wand, peered into Harry's mind, sought out the correct memory, and pulled it out and placed it into the vial. "There now, that's done. I'll leave you now, I've got some work to do."

Harry watched Dumbledore leave, wondering just what the headmaster was up to now.

Minister Fudge's Office, Ministry of Magic

It was the next day. Dumbledore had left the school in the capable hands of Professor McGonagall. For any plans he might have in the future, Dumbledore needed the support, or the indifference, of Minister Fudge.

Upon entering the room, the headmaster had immediately seen that the Minister was enveloped in fear. The man was worried over a great many things. The first was that Voldemort was actually back, but Dumbledore could feel the denial that popped up at this thought. Second, given that Voldemort wasn't back, who was to blame? Finally, he was worried over his political position. If the impossible turned out to be true, Fudge would be branded as the minister who allowed Voldemort to rise again. Then there was Harry Potter, how could a Minister of Magic counteract the lies of the-Boy-who-Lived?

The Minister decided to assert his authority, such that it was "Headmaster Dumbledore, what brings you to my office, and please don't bore me with fantastic tales of resurrected dark lords."

"I assure you Minister, I was simply humoring Mr. Potter, he was quite convinced and obviously distraught over the death of his classmate." Dumbledore decided to put Fudge on the defensive, he would not acknowledge Voldemort's return, so Dumbledore would force him to consider alternatives as to what happened in the graveyard and later at the school.

Fudge took the bait "So, who do you think killed that student? Also, with whom was Barty Crouch Jr. affiliated?

"We know Mr. Crouch used to be a Death Eater, he most likely held to his beliefs throughout the intervening years. Trying to kill Mr. Potter and impersonate Professor Moody was an effort to avenge his fallen Master. I suspect his cohorts in the graveyard had similar intentions. I would say that they were nothing more than a misguided remnant of Death Eaters." Dumbledore didn't want to force an opinion on Fudge, but he would if required.

Fudge was amenable to the lie, Dumbledore had just given him an opportunity to explain away the tragedy and to minimize the damage done to the British Ministry with the mishandling of the Tri-Wizard tournament "Rogue Death Eaters, yes, that sounds right. So, aside from that. What brings you to my office?"

"Two important matters, the first is proving the innocence of Sirius Black, and the second is a request that the events of the last year will not result in any reaction from the Ministry regarding changes to Hogwarts." Dumbledore had seen that Fudge was fearful of losing power, so he wanted to change Hogwarts to undermine Dumbledore's authority.

Fudge was surprised at both requests, he wondered how Dumbledore knew about his plans for Hogwarts, but Black was a different matter entirely "You believe that a mass murderer, not to mention someone who betrayed the Potters to He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named, is innocent?"

"I have proof of such Minister, also I would like to remind you, Mr. Black was never given a trial before he was imprisoned." Dumbledore pulled the vial containing the memory, the one the that Harry had given him, of Sirius Black and the revelation that Peter Pettigrew was alive.

The Minister's face drained of color. Dumbledore had issued a veiled threat. Throwing anyone into Azkaban, even a mass murderer, without a trial was a grave miscarriage of justice. Then of course there was this memory to consider. "I should like to see this proof. What would you have me do if this does indeed clear Mr. Black's name?"

"I can say with full confidence Minister, that this memory will indeed make things clear. As to what I want to happen, I would like to see all investigations regarding Mr. Black to be discontinued." Dumbledore was hoping that Fudge would agree readily to his conditions. He needed Sirius. First, for his connection to Harry Potter, the boy's morale would be considerably improved with his godfather around. Second, Sirius' experience in the last war would be invaluable.

Fudge didn't respond. Instead he simply called forth a Pensieve. He and Dumbledore plunged into the memory. Fudge expected some alteration of the memory. He wasn't so naive as to think that Dumbledore wouldn't be above using fraud to advance his agenda. However; the memory showed Potter, Remus Lupin, and Professor Snape confronting Sirius and a newly captured Peter Pettigrew. The whole situation resulted in Peter Pettigrew being revealed as an animagus.

The memory included the aftermath up until Remus started to turn into a werewolf. Fudge was shaken after returning to his office "I would seem that you were correct about Mr. Black's innocence, in light of this and other recent events, I will leave the administration of Hogwarts to you. As well, Sirius Black will be cleared of all charges pending a debriefing by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he was in their employ at the time he was imprisoned."

"I should like to hire him at Hogwarts, you have my gratitude and support, thank you Minister" The next step of his plan was complete, but Dumbledore still had much work to do before everything was in place.

Muggle Prime Ministers Office, 10 Downing Street

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of an illustrious predecessor. He was about to get the opportunity to add something of import to his record.

He had already met the Minister for Magic. He had some reservations about a shadow world living alongside normal society. Then of course their was the power these wizards could wield. It was quite the shock when Minister Fudge had appeared in his office. So it was that when the Minister came into his office to find an ancient wizard with a long white beard, eyes that seemed to sparkle unnaturally, and robes that were entirely out of place, the Minister was curious rather than scared.

Dumbledore sized up the man before him. Despite what the Minister thought, Dumbledore could sense a certain amount of apprehension. The first step was to put the man at ease. "I apologize for the unannounced visit. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I serve as the headmaster for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Why are you here?" The Minister relaxed, this wizard had a Gandalf-esque quality, but he was essentially a school administrator _'Given his job, why is he seeking me out? Does he need to meet with the Secretary of State for Education?'_

Dumbledore was relieved at the blunt nature of the question "Minister, as I am sure you are aware, our world's share many parallels, both good and bad. It is one of the latter that has led me to your office."

"What sort of bad parallel?" The Minister decided to match the wizard in his vague definition of the problem.

The headmaster thought for a moment about how to brooch the subject of the Death Eaters. More specifically he needed a good Muggle comparison "There is a group in my world, they are what you would call terrorists, they call themselves Death Eaters. I should imagine that you have had experience with groups similar to them. Do I have the right of it?"

"Yes, after a fashion. Though I am at a loss as to why your world would seek my help with such a group. By and large most groups such as these seek only limited political change. There are exceptions of course, but those with more extreme views tend not to get very far." The Minister thought of his country's own ongoing conflict with the Irish Republican Army for a frame of reference.

Dumbledore caught the more comprehensive thought processes that guided Prime Minister's response. He reviewed his newly gathered information _'A decades long conflict with a group called the I.R.A. a seemingly never ending battle between the country of Israel and a group called the P.L.O. and global disruption caused by religious and nationalist fanatics, how very interesting. Very few of these groups would seek to overturn the entire political order of the world. Though there were some groups in Muggle history that sought such power.'_

What he said to the Prime Minister incorporated these thoughts "You are indeed correct about extremist groups in your world. However, the Death Eaters in our world have more in common with groups like the Nazi's in Germany or the Soviet Communists in a number of other countries. They have a leader that they revere, they target groups of people they see as part of the problem, and finally, they seek absolute political and cultural control. The reason I am seeking your help is that the Death Eaters would like nothing more than to slaughter your people. Even if it would break the statute of Secrecy. They would do so, even if it meant untold damage to your world, and the destruction of mine."

"If what you say is true, it would seem that your government is aware of it. They should be able to deal with this threat. If they can't, I should like to know why. As well, I would like to know how my government could aid yours? It doesn't make sense, you magical people can do extraordinary things, given my briefings on your world. How could we possibly help you?" The Minister knew about the Wizarding World from Squibs in his Government who were constantly kept on staff, Prime Minister's since Churchill had need of their counsel.

Dumbledore had expected these question, in truth he was ashamed that the Ministry of Magic wasn't able to handle Voldemort or his followers, especially during the First War. Given this he answered each question in turn "The Ministry of Magic can't combat this group because they only maintain a constabulary force. At best we can call upon a paramilitary militia, but that has proven to be woefully inadequate. Your government has access to a proper military. I am seeking the creation of an army. I was hoping you would be receptive to the idea of lending us some instructors to teach our prospective soldiers."

"I'll have to speak to the Secretary of State for Defence. I should like to know what form you want this army to take?" The Minister was curious, it would be a simple matter to supply instructors for rudimentary or specialized infantry. It would be something else entirely to give instruction based around equipment and tactics that involved an air force or a navy. Not to mention any army that wanted to use such things as armored vehicles.

Dumbledore could see those thoughts and the curiosity behind them. He now had a fairly good idea of what he needed to combat the Death Eaters "I need instructors for fundemental discipline, what you would call infantry tactics, and finally I should like to have insight into an air force."

"The first two should be no problem, there is the issue of the Statute of Secrecy but I am confident we can find people who are already cleared or who could be cleared to work with you in short order. I must ask though, why would you want an instructor on aircraft and their uses?" As far as the Minister knew, the Wizarding world decided not to use mechanical means of flying.

Dumbledore chuckled "Well asked, sir, we need such teachers because we use brooms and other similarly modified objects to get around. We also use them for sport, it would make sense that our enemy would use them in combat. As for the rest, I thank you sir."

"Of course, headmaster was it? Give me a week to gather the necessary people. Meet me back in this office and you can take them wherever you need them." The Minister wouldn't try and figure out the logistics of the transfer, he would leave that to the wizard in front of him.

The Great Hall, Hogwarts

End of Term

If Dumbledore wasn't prepared to deal with Voldemort, and if he allowed the Ministry to dictate his actions, his end of term speech would have consisted of a stirring memorial to Cedric Diggory and little else. He would still speak about the boy, but this speech would be a call to action as well.

He started off, he needed to have the full attention of every student, so he applied a brief _Sonorous_ charm "Everyone, quiet down, if you please." He was satisfied when the low rumble of talking in the hall ceased.

Dumbledore gathered himself then. This would be a pivotal moment, things would never be the same once the speech was finished "First off, I would like to thank Beauxbatons and Durmstrang for their efforts in fostering international magical cooperation. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is over and your champions performed gallantly. With that said I would request that both schools adjourn for the evening. There are some things which Hogwarts alone must hear. I will ensure that you will all be given the same feast that we are enjoying here. I apologize for this sudden change of plans. We will all have breakfast here tomorrow, I would not deny a proper farewell with newly made friends. Nor will we forsake the memory of Cedric Diggory."

The students and teachers of both schools looked at each other in confusion, while the collective thoughts from them were essentially _'What is going on here?'_ After a moment of saying farewell to various members of Hogwarts, both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students rose from their seats and exited the Great Hall. The professors from both institutions followed their charges out, some with reproving glances in Dumbledore's direction.

He saw some of the same looks and feelings with his colleagues and the students as well, but it couldn't be helped "With that unpleasantness behind us, I shall get to the business at hand."

Dumbledore scanned the room. He felt some initial Legilimency probes from some of his peers, particularly professors Snape and Flitwick. He consciously strengthened his own mental defenses. He felt the probing subside. He was under no illusion, if his colleagues wanted the truth out of him, he would be hard pressed to defeat their combined efforts. For the moment though, his secrets were safe. As soon as his speech began in earnest, he prepared for a heavy attack on multiple fronts. As well he would have to monitor the thoughts and feelings from the students and the teachers. Their positive reaction, or at least acceptance, was crucial. Any rejection or hostility would have to be identified and dealt with quickly.

Dumbledore applied another _Sonorous_ charm, so that he would be heard above any possible reaction to his speech. With that, he began "In light of recent events I am canceling the upcoming summer break. All students are to remain at Hogwarts, there will be one exception which I will explain later."

He saw and felt an immediate reaction. There was a general murmur throughout the Hall. As well, there were mental expression of shock or outrage over the unprecedented policy change.

"I realize that this is quite the sudden change. But the death of Cedric Diggory and the resurrection of the Dark Lord means that all of us are in danger. I do not trust the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to keep all of you safe in your far flung homes. You are our future. Thus you become prime targets for the Death Eaters." Dumbledore could sense comprehension dawning on many students and some teachers as well.

He continued "All students must make an unbreakable vow to protect Hogwarts, and on pain of losing your magic, that you shall never aid the Death Eaters in any way."

Now came a roar from the crowd of students and some of his colleagues. Their collective voices and thoughts boiled down to a resounding rejection of this latest proposal. Magical vows were not to be taken lightly. In the wizarding world, losing your magic was like being paralyzed or blinded, it was a permanent disability and as such it was a thing to be avoided if at all possible.

"I can understand your reluctance, but you must realize that during the last war the forces fighting the Death Eaters were beset by betrayal time and again. I will not see your safety compromised as a result of some misguided beliefs, in addition this will also protect against the _Imperious_ curse. Should one of us fall under the influence of the Death Eaters, as soon as they act against the school and our efforts here, their magic will be stripped away. Those who feel unable to make such an oath shall leave the school tomorrow. Those who do so may return at the start of term next year, assuming there is such a thing." Dumbledore could sense more acceptance for his requirement, the reluctant students and teachers were swayed by his security argument. Mr. Potter was representative of a group that had suffered losses in the last war. He could count many others in this group. Many who were longtime friends.

With that declaration, Dumbledore had set the foundation for the rest of his speech "I want all of you to be safe here in the future because I intend to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. To do that, I need your help. Given that, I am abolishing the teaching position of Defense Against the Dark Arts. I will be replacing the position with a set of Wizarding Combat Instructors. The first two will focus on individual and group fighting respectively. As well there will be an aerial Combat teacher who will assist Madam Hooch. These teachers will all come from the Muggle world. They have the skills necessary to defeat our enemy."

There was some more dissension to this change, particularly from some of the professors who felt that this change was far too radical, as well, there was an undercurrent of disgust with the idea of bringing in Muggles to teach at Hogwarts. There was some support, chiefly among some students. Of course with the support came some outrage at the implications. Ms. Granger's thoughts were most vocal of the latter group _'Honestly, what does he expect us to do? Are we to become child soldiers? If that is the case, than how are we any different from the Death Eaters. They turn wizards into ruthless killers, will we become like them?'_

Dumbledore sought to address the prejudice and criticism first "I wish that there were wizards with these particular skills, it would save us all a great deal of time. Also, these Muggle teachers will need to have protection while they are here. It would be much less of a headache if I could find wizards or witches for these new positions. As for the inevitable criticism of using students to fight in this war, would that there were another way. However; Hogwarts is the only place with the requisite numbers to face the Death Eaters in battle. Keep in mind that it will not be our goal to use fear and violence against Wizarding Britain, nor will we seek to target Muggles or their halfblood children."

At the conclusion of this latest portion of his speech, Dumbledore sensed a lessening of the outrage and resistance at the implications of his proposals. Had he maintained his vigilance, he would have seen that the opposition hadn't disappeared, it had just been muted for a time.

"This leads to my next proffered change. The first is that each student will find a partner. This pairing must be completed and confirmed by the end of next week. In a fortnight's time I expect each pair to partner with another set to form a team of four. These teams will share the same rooms. There will be no limitations based upon house. As well there will be a relaxation of the rules regarding boys and girls. The teams can be mixed. Those unwilling or unable to find a team by the end of the fortnight will report to me for assignment." Dumbledore waited for a moment, this was his most radical change and he expected a backlash against it.

Nevertheless, Dumbledore was a wizard with many decades of experience teaching children. His policy regarding the sexes predictably set off the prurient desires of most in the senior years, and even a few in the lower years who were blossoming early. Many Professors predictably did not like the loosening of these traditions. He could hear many of the students making plans as to who their partners and teams would hopefully be in the future. There was one mournful voice at the rear of the hall, it was hidden behind a stoic countenance of a lonely girl _'I wonder where I'll be assigned, nobody is going to want Looney on their team. But I can trust the headmaster to look out for all of us, if I can help, I will. I wonder if there is anything in the Quibbler on the last war. Daddy was with mother then, he might be willing to reminisce about that time. In spite of the time, it was happier for him.'_

Dumbledore would take special care regarding Ms. Lovegood. Childish exclusions would have no place at the new Hogwarts. In addition there was a question of morale. It would go hand in hand with discipline. Bad morale would lead to the same in discipline, and bad discipline would lead to inattention and mistakes on the battlefield. It's not that Ms. Lovegood was particularly special, she just caught his attention during the lull in his speech.

Turning from the trials of a single student, he returned to the matter at hand. "In addition, the house points system will be suspended for the coming year. The House Quidditch Cup and teams will also be set aside. In their place there will be points awarded to each team of four. And Quidditch shall change to reflect this new arrangement. In lieu of a better name, I will call this combat Quiddtich. I will supply the details later."

The details were a wholesale departure from standard Quidditch. Instead of large teams of 7 players each there would four to a side. Instead of all of the various roles on a traditional Quidditch team. Each player would be able to act as Chaser and/or Keeper. There would be some additional rules put in place. First, there would one Quaffle per team. So that each team would constantly be on both defense and offense. Second, if a player were to be knocked off their broomstick, they would be out for the match.

Those would all be revealed in due time, for the moment, Dumbledore had to contend with a certain amount of uproar over these most recent changes. Many of his colleagues were not on board with abolishing the house points. As well, there were some students who were not happy with the changes to Quidditch, especially those who had been on a house team for a few years and had a vested interest in the winning the Quidditch Cup.

Now though Dumbledore was getting to the end of his speech "Some last thoughts for the coming term. The three Muggle instructors will be here by the time that your teams are formed. As well I will be bringing in a few wizards who had experience in the last war. I will give Alastair Moody a chance to redeem himself in light of the imposter that used his likeness this past year. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin will return for a second chance. They will protect and assist the Muggle teachers."

Dumbledore could see that Harry Potter lit up at this news. He was still trying to atone for his mistakes regarding the boy, having his parents two closest friends around would go a long way to regain his trust, that they were possible family didn't hurt either.

"Now I have a proposition for all of the Muggle born students. Your parents will be in danger during the coming war. I would see that danger removed. I ask that you consider two options. First, that the Wizarding world provide extensive protections to each and every one of your families. Or, that we would bring all your families to Hogsmeade, after they are all situated, I would endeavor to extend Hogwart's protections around the village. I ask that each of you think on this. We shall have a vote as to which course we will take come the end of next week." Dumbledore would make sure that it was only the halfblood and fully Muggle-born who would be present at the vote, it was their parents who would become targets. He would draw a line at the entrance to the room, it would prohibit any pure-blooded wizard children from entering and it would discombobulated any who tried.

The headmaster did another scan of the feelings in the hall. There was obvious support for both alternatives. He hoped that the Hogsmeade concentration would win the day when it came time for the vote. It would be far easier to protect all of those families if they were all in one place. Having them all stay in their homes, or having a mixed alternative, wherein some came to Hogsmeade and some remained at home. Either of the latter two would very time consuming and labor intensive. It would require many resources that Dumbledore had hoped would be used more directly for the war. Every Auror and hit-wizard that was on guard duty or on stand-by for reacting to an attack, it would be a feature of new security measures to have wards that would alert the Ministry should a certain place come under attack. Those same people could not be used to patrol and/or search for Death Eaters.

After measuring the mood and support for the various changes to be made. Dumbledore launched into his conclusion "I understand that some of these proposals are fairly radical. But in this instance it is a clear case of the end justifying the means. During my lifetime I've seen many deaths that could have been avoided. Some of you in this hall suffered losses in the last war with Voldemort. It was a lack of leadership within the Ministry that was responsible for those losses. We thought we could deal with Voldemort using methods reserved for common criminals. We were sorely mistaken. This time we will not sit idly by while our world is threatened. By the time the next term begins I would like Hogwarts to be a new center for safety and security. Last time Voldemort rose to power, Hogwarts acted as a safe haven. This time it will act as a staging area. We will not cower in the face of fear. Finally, Voldemort is just one wizard, a powerful one to be sure, but still only one. Once his followers are all killed or captured. Voldemort will be alone, he will be much easier to handle. I expect that Hogwarts will produce a cadre of soldiers that will meet the Death Eaters. By the time this war is over, they will know what it is to be afraid. You are all free to eat and discuss amongst yourselves. I will introduce your new professors after Beauxbatons and Durmstrang leave tomorrow. If you have any questions, I will be available after the feast."

The hall was suddenly very silent, where before there was low a murmur during the speech. Dumbledore started to slowly eat as he kept his attention on the hall. He knew he would have to answer to his colleagues about the various changes. However; he was the headmaster as well as the Chief Warlock of the Wizangamot. He had the authority he needed. Any checks would come from the Ministry or the Board of Governors. There were some professors and students who were very much opposed to the direction the school was heading, as well there were those who supported the changes. Summer break wasn't that long, but it would be just long enough so that by the end of it, Hogwarts would be able to field what amounted to an understrength battalion. Of course this was much more than the Ministry or the Order of the Phoenix had in the last war.

Dumbledore looked out over the students, and he hoped that the training and the changes would mean that very few would be missing by war's end. He would do all in his power to make sure the Wizarding, and by extension, the Muggle world would come through with much fewer losses.


End file.
